The world is rapidly investing in renewable energy to combat climate change. Solar panels, wind farms, and hydroelectric plants are spreading across landscapes once dominated by coal plants and oil rigs. 



These changes give the impression of an inevitable transition away from fossil fuels. Yet a new study from <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> suggests that this shift might not be as straightforward as it seems.



Professor Ryan Thombs, a rural sociology researcher, examined more than two decades of U.S. energy data. His findings challenge a common belief: that building more renewable energy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tapping-into-the-natural-power-of-plants-for-renewable-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sources</a> will naturally lead to a decrease in fossil fuel production. 



The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, paints a more complex picture of energy use in the United States.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewable-growth-and-fossil-fuel-use">Renewable growth and fossil fuel use</h2>



Thombs analyzed fuel production data from 33 U.S. states that produce fossil <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-honors-success-in-clean-energy-and-wildlife-recovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fuels</a>. His dataset spanned from 1997 to 2020, covering coal, natural gas, crude oil, and various renewable sources including wind, solar, hydro, and biofuels. 



The United States, as the world’s second-largest energy producer and greenhouse gas emitter, offers a crucial case study for understanding global energy transitions.



When Thombs looked at how renewable energy production varied alongside fossil fuel output, he found no significant link. States that ramped up renewables didn’t necessarily reduce their fossil fuel production. 



This suggests that renewable growth alone does not push out fossil fuel use. Instead, the study shows that over 96% of the differences in fossil fuel production between states can be explained by fixed factors unique to each state.



These factors include the amount of fossil fuel deposits underground, the strength of local fossil fuel industries, and historical patterns of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy development</a>. In short, geography and legacy infrastructure matter more than many policy assumptions suggest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewables-won-t-displace-fossil-fuels">Renewables won't displace fossil fuels</h2>



The disconnect between policy expectations and real-world outcomes is important. Many environmental strategies assume that increasing renewable energy will automatically shrink fossil fuel production. Thombs argues this assumption needs reevaluation.



“Policies could include ones that directly limit fossil fuel production through carbon taxes, setting production caps on fossil fuels and keeping fossil fuel <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/report-earth-is-headed-for-an-irreversible-climate-disaster/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reserves</a> in the ground,” he said.



Such policies would directly address fossil fuel use rather than relying on indirect market competition. Without these measures, fossil fuel-rich states may continue extracting oil, coal, and gas - even as they expand their renewable portfolios.



This is particularly true in states where both types of energy resources exist side by side. Instead of displacing fossil fuels, renewables may simply be added to the mix. This outcome weakens efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate targets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-fuels-still-dominate-global-emissions">Fossil fuels still dominate global emissions</h2>



Climate science leaves little doubt about the consequences of continued fossil fuel use. According to the United Nations, fossil fuels are responsible for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. 



Reducing reliance on these sources is essential for limiting global temperature rise and avoiding the most severe climate impacts.



In recent years, renewable energy has grown rapidly and now leads new energy generation projects in many parts of the world. This expansion creates a sense of momentum. 



Yet, Thombs’ research warns against overconfidence. He notes that assuming renewable growth alone can reduce fossil fuel use may result in weak or incomplete policies.



“However, many policies to this point assume that growth in renewable energy corresponds with a proportional decrease in fossil fuels,” he said. 



“If it doesn’t, then we may need to implement additional policies to reduce fossil fuel production directly rather than hope that deploying renewables will crowd out fossil fuels.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renewables-fail-to-replace-fossil-fuels">Renewables fail to replace fossil fuels</h2>



To ensure that his conclusions held up, Thombs used three different statistical modeling techniques. He worked with state-level data on per capita production of both fossil fuels and renewables. This included geothermal, wind, solar thermal, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, biofuels, and waste-based sources.



Despite the diversity in energy types and methods of analysis, the results remained consistent. The growth of renewables did not correlate with a decline in fossil fuel output. 



The findings suggest that entrenched patterns of fossil fuel use won’t simply shift with market changes alone.



The study also indicates that states with large fossil fuel reserves have deeply rooted advantages in continuing extraction. These advantages, tied to geology and existing infrastructure, make it hard for renewables to replace fossil fuels unless laws or regulations intervene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stronger-regulations-are-needed">Stronger regulations are needed</h2>



Thombs acknowledges the study has some boundaries. The analysis applies specifically to the U.S. and only covers the years from 1997 to 2020. 



Global energy dynamics or more recent data might produce different results. Still, the findings offer a useful starting point for thinking about energy policy in similar industrialized nations.



“It's possible that renewables will substitute fossil fuels as the broader political economy transforms, especially if state regulations are implemented,” he said. 



“However, the findings do demonstrate that any such transition will be hindered by the close proximity of renewable and fossil fuel resources in many fossil-fuel-dependent states.”



This dual presence of resources can trap states in a mixed-energy status. Without stronger policies that directly curb fossil fuel use, these states may maintain both systems rather than phasing one out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-future-energy-strategies">Implications for future energy strategies</h2>



Thombs’ work points toward a broader conclusion: the U.S. needs a layered approach to energy transition. Investing in renewables remains important, but it cannot stand alone. Policymakers should also create legal and economic barriers to fossil fuel extraction if they want to see real change.



This could involve setting caps on fossil fuel production, taxing carbon emissions, or legally designating certain reserves to remain untapped. Each strategy comes with political and economic trade-offs, but the study suggests such moves are necessary.



The energy transition won’t happen just because renewables get cheaper or more abundant. Real reductions in fossil fuel use will likely depend on active decisions to limit their production. Only then can renewables take center stage - not just as additions, but as true replacements.



The study is published in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13412-025-01013-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences</a>. 



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Renewables alone may not cut U.S. fossil fuel use

The world is rapidly investing in renewable energy to combat climate change. Solar panels, wind farms, and hydroelectric plants are spreading across landscapes once dominated by coal plants and oil rigs. These changes give the impression of an inevitable transition away from fossil fuels. Yet a new study from Penn State suggests that this shift might not be as straightforward as it seems. Professor Ryan Thombs, a rural sociology researcher, examined more than two decades of U.S. energy data. His findings challenge a common belief: that building...

The effects of global warming can be seen across a multitude of measures, usually as gradual, incremental changes, such as more frequent extreme weather events, heatwaves, wildfires, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-world-is-at-a-crossroads-in-managing-severe-droughts/">droughts</a>. However, the cumulative impact of such changes can lead to the emergence of “tipping points,” or thresholds where tiny changes can push an entire system into a radically new state.&nbsp;



At this year’s <a href="https://lps22.esa.int/frontend/index.php">Living Planet Symposium</a> – an international event organized by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) in Bonn, Germany – researchers from a variety of institutions gathered to present the latest scientific evidence for climate tipping points. The experts also set out to identify the opportunities and challenges of using remote sensing data provided by state-of-the-art satellites to understand these phenomena.



“Successive IPCC Assessment Reports have revised upwards the risks posed by climate tipping points,” said Tim Lenton, a professor of Climate Change and Earth System Science at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>.



“Tipping points have already informed climate mitigation targets, including the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit warming to well below two degrees Celsius. If the risk of tipping is still underestimated, it would provide a reason to strengthen such pledges and action to meet them. That’s why it’s so important to understand the proximity of tipping points and their impact on society.”



As <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/">IPCC’s sixth climate Assessment Report</a> warns, the risk of high impact climate tipping points at regional scales has already increased substantially and is set to rise even more in the near future. For instance, human activities such as deforestation - together with rising temperatures - are making more likely that the Amazon rainforest will tip into a savannah state before the end of the century.



“Researchers have been making progress on resilience indicators in conceptual models as well as models of Arctic sea ice, ice sheets, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and other potential Tipping Elements,” explained keynote speaker Sebastian Bathiany, a climate expert at the <a href="https://www.tum.de/">Technical University of Munich</a>. However, such models are insufficient to identify how and when abrupt changes can occur. “In order to understand what is going on in the real world, we need to work toward a meaningful interpretation of resilience indicators in Earth observation records. This is why discussions across scientific communities and disciplines are so important.”



Thus, to better understand climate dynamics and make more reliable predictions of any potential rapid changes, conceptual and computational models should be coupled to Earth observation datasets provided by satellites, and further interpreted by interdisciplinary teams of experts. Methodological and disciplinary diversity are absolutely necessary to advance our climate knowledge and build a more sustainable future.



Image Credit: European Space Agency 



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellite data needed to identify climate tipping points

The effects of global warming can be seen across a...

As global warming brings higher temperatures to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-extreme-weather-impact-marine-ecosystems/">ecosystems</a> around the world, it is likely that some animal species will need to move to cooler areas in order to remain functional. This could mean moving towards higher latitudes or towards higher altitudes. The problem with moving up a mountain side, however, is that it brings a decrease in oxygen availability along with the cooler temperatures. For animals with high metabolic rates, such as hummingbirds, this combination of factors may make life at high altitudes impossible.



To find out what the impact of higher altitude living is on Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte anna), Austin Spence from the University of Connecticut, USA, and Morgan Tingley from the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, transported some of these birds to sites at various heights up mountainsides. The birds occur naturally over a range of altitudes, from sea level to around 2,800 meters, so the researchers predicted that the birds would show a range of adaptations to living at altitude, and that those already comfortable at 2,400 meters would cope better when transported to 3,800 meters.



Using net traps, the researchers trapped hummingbirds from sites of different altitudes ranging from 10 metersabove sea level (Sacramento, CA) up to 2,400 meters (Mammoth Lakes, CA).&nbsp; Spence and team member Hannah LeWinter of Humboldt State University then transported the birds to an aviary in western California at an altitude of 1,215 meters. The birds were given a few days to acclimatize in these new conditions.



The scientists then measured their oxygen consumption by enticing each bird to insert its head into a tiny funnel to sip a sugary solution. The consumption of O2 indicates metabolic rate since oxygen is used to produce the energy that is used during metabolism. Spence and LeWinter also measured each hummingbird’s carbon dioxide (CO2)&nbsp;production overnight, which is also a measure of metabolic rate.&nbsp;



After collecting this data, the birds were moved again, this time to aviaries at a nearby research station close to the peak of Mount Barcroft, CA, which is at an altitude of 3,800 meters. At this site there is around 39 percent less oxygen in the air and the ambient temperatures are around 5°C lower. After acclimatizing for four days, the birds’ metabolic rates were again measured while they hovered and while they slept.&nbsp;



Their results, published today in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/225/10/jeb243294/275376/Anna-s-hummingbird-Calypte-anna-physiological">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>, show that the hummingbirds exhibit a 37 percent decrease in metabolic rate at an altitude of 3,800 meters. Instead of working harder to hover in the thin air, 1,000 meters above their natural range, the birds suffered a large drop in their metabolic rates. And the energy used by birds that had originated at higher altitudes was no different from the energy used by those that had lived close to sea level – they all struggled equally on the mountain top.&nbsp;



“Overall, these results suggest low air pressure and oxygen availability may reduce hovering performance in hummingbirds, when exposed to the acute challenge of high-elevation conditions,” explained Spence.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In addition, the birds fell into a state of deep torpor each night, when they slept. This is a form of overnight hibernation, where the metabolic rate is lowered significantly in order to conserve energy. Although the birds showed this behavior at the lower experimental altitude (1,215 meters), it was more extreme in the colder conditions at 3,800 meters. Here they were torpid for more than 87.5 percent of the chilly, high-altitude night.



“It means that even if they’re from a warm or cool spot, they use torpor when its super-cold, which is cool,” said Spence.&nbsp;



The researchers hypothesized that hummingbirds originally from higher altitude habitats may have larger lungs to compensate for the lower oxygen availability in the air at those sites, but this was not so. However, these birds did have larger hearts, which would help to circulate oxygen more rapidly around their bodies.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, the results from this experimental research indicate that hummingbirds will probably not be able to relocate up mountainsides to find more suitable environments as climate change makes conditions uncomfortable for them.&nbsp;



“Our results suggest lower oxygen availability and low air pressure may be difficult challenges to overcome for hummingbirds,” said Spence, meaning that the birds will instead have to shift northward or southward in search of cooler climes.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hummingbirds cannot maintain an energetic lifestyle at high altitudes

As global warming brings higher temperatures to ecosystems around the...

Offshore wind farms generate much-needed renewable energy that is environmentally friendly and cost-efficient. In the early stages of construction, there is usually noise and disturbance as the turbines are erected, but this is well regulated and of short duration. After completion, the only disturbance that remains is due to the low-level sound emissions of the turbines. But this constant noise pollution may have an impact on marine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greater-risk-of-extinction-for-large-bodied-mammals-in-the-past/">mammals</a> that produce their own sounds in order to communicate with one another.



At the 182nd Meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>, to be held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel this week, Frank Thomsen of DHI will discuss how this constant noise may impact marine wildlife. His presentation is titled “Operational underwater sound from future offshore wind turbines can affect the behavior of marine mammals,” and it will take place on May 26.



He will report on research that he and his colleagues did by reviewing published studies on the sound levels emanating from operational wind farms. They were interested in the effects of turbine size on noise emissions and found that, in general, larger turbines produced higher levels of noise. The long-term consequences of this noise on marine wildlife are largely unknown, but it is hypothesized that constant background noise can interfere with the communication patterns and behavior of mammals at sea.&nbsp;



However, turbine size is not the only important factor to consider. The disruptive impact may also be influenced by the number of turbines and the ways in which their sound patterns overlap. In addition, the gearbox technology used in older turbines produces disruptive nose for a distance of up to 6.3 kilometers while newer, direct-drive turbines may only affect animal behavior within a 1.4-kilometer radius.&nbsp;



“It is very unlikely that operational noise will lead to any injury or even hearing impairment, but behavioral changes could be a concern, as our study shows,” Thomsen said. “It's possible that impact zones of individual turbines overlap, but that still does not mean that the wind farm is a no-go area for marine life. We see harbor porpoises frequently swimming in the vicinity of turbines.”



In theory, the underwater sound could lead to behavior changes in marine mammals and mask calls from whales, but harbor porpoises are frequently seen swimming in the vicinity of wind farms in Europe, so it may not be as simple as it seems.



“Since offshore wind farms have a relatively long lifespan, and there will be many of them, the potential impacts should not be overlooked,” said Thomsen. “The point of our work is to raise awareness.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Noise from wind farms could affect marine mammal behavior

Offshore wind farms generate much-needed renewable energy that is environmentally...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compiles the Red List of Threatened Species, the most comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-500-animal-species-are-lost-but-are-they-extinct/">species</a>. This list informs conservation policy around the world. 



The process for categorizing species however, is laborious and dependent on human experts which often leads to bias. Because of this, many species have never been evaluated, which has caused gaps in protective measures for potential species at risk.&nbsp;



A new study presents a machine learning tool to resolve this challenge by assessing extinction risk. The tool was used to identify the unlisted reptile species that are more likely to be threatened than assessed species.&nbsp;



There are 4,369 reptile species that were previously unable to be prioritized for conservation. Using the machine learning model, the study assigned IUCN extinction risk categories to the 40 percent of the world’s reptiles that lacked assessments or were classified as data deficient (DD).



The researchers found that the number of threatened reptile species is much higher than what is represented on the IUCN Red List. Surprisingly, unassessed and data deficient reptiles were more likely to be threatened than species that had been assessed. 



According to the researchers, the findings show that reptile conservation is much worse than estimated. Immediate action is critical to support reptile biodiversity. The study identifies specific regions and taxa that are most likely to be threatened. The experts argue that these areas should be prioritized for conservation planning. The study's methodology can also be used to help bridge the gap of other, lesser known species.&nbsp;



“Importantly, the additional reptile species identified as threatened by our models are not distributed randomly across the globe or the reptilian evolutionary tree," said study co-author Shai Meiri. "Our added information highlights that there are more reptile species in peril – especially in Australia, Madagascar, and the Amazon basin – all of which have a high diversity of reptiles and should be targeted for extra conservation effort."



"Moreover, species rich groups, such as geckos and elapids (cobras, mambas, coral snakes, and others), are probably more threatened than the Global Reptile Assessment currently highlights, these groups should also be the focus of more conservation attention.”



Study co-author Uri Roll said the research could be very important in helping the global efforts to prioritize the conservation of species at risk.



"Our world is facing a biodiversity crisis, and severe man-made changes to ecosystems and species, yet funds allocated for conservation are very limited," said Roll.



"Consequently, it is key that we use these limited funds where they could provide the most benefits. Advanced tools- such as those we have employed here, together with accumulating data, could greatly cut the time and cost needed to assess extinction risk, and thus pave the way for more informed conservation decision making.”



To better understand the factors that are contributing to reptile extinction risk, further studies are needed to ensure that conservation plans include newly identified threatened species.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS Biology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Number of endangered reptiles is much greater than estimated

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compiles the...

<a href="https://sites.google.com/d51schools.org/phs-fish-hatchery">Palisade High School</a>, a twenty minute drive from where I live in Colorado, has something unusual - a fish hatchery. When I read about this, I had to visit the school to see for myself.



Razorback suckers (Xyrauchen texanus), the only fish raised at Palisade’s hatchery, once lived throughout the Colorado River Basin from Wyoming to Baja California, Mexico.&nbsp;As is typical of many fish native to the western US, damming of rivers, introduction of non-native sport fishes and irrigation channels have taken a toll.



The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/23162/174781799">critically endangered fish</a> is still found in small and fragmented populations throughout the Colorado River Basin and a few reservoirs created by the river. Razorback suckers are missing from large parts of their former southern range. Since 1991, the fish has been formally protected by the US federal government.&nbsp;



According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the fish population is still dropping. There is some hope, as the razorback sucker has been re-established in the Grand Canyon and more southerly parts of its range but it’s still a struggle. A teacher and his students are doing something about it, while also looking more closely at the connection between humanity and the rest of nature. 



I met Pat Steele on a cool, windy spring day in front of Palisade High School. He warmly welcomed me to the school and walked with me along the edge of a sport’s field towards a gate in the chain link fence. He talked over the wind as we walked, telling me how all the money for their fish hatchery came from local donors. Beyond the gate was a small shed, which Steele said was previously used to store astronomy equipment for the school. 



The inside of the shed was filled with three large black tanks with small clear windows cut in the sides. Around the corner was an aeration pump system. Inside the tanks there were approximately 300 fish. The shed was filled with the sound of water bubbling and pumps humming. Pat said he hopes to make the fish hatchery central to the school. Chemistry students could monitor the pH of the water for instance or art students could practice Japanese fish printing with the few fish that accidentally die and are frozen. 



Pat also teaches a river dynamics class, something of utmost importance for understanding the western landscape and our place in it, especially in these challenging times. He hopes this sort of teaching and the hands-on work with the fish, creates a connection between students and the river. His students hosted a class of younger students from another nearby school and showed them invertebrates and fish living in the river. The students walked from their school along the river, picking up trash as they went. To me, this seems like a perfect model for environmental education - personal, hands-on and tailored to the student’s own backyard as well as scientifically rigorous.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



In Palisade High School’s fish hatchery, students and a handful of special volunteers do all of the work. They change filters and water, monitor the health of the fish and isolate any that are acting strangely. Before they’re released, the students insert rice-grain sized PIT tags into the fish just behind their fins. These tags allow scientists to check the provenance of the fish they catch and hopefully monitor the success of the school’s hatchery program. At the end of all this work, the fish are released into the Colorado River, which is a short walk away from the hatchery they’re raised in.&nbsp;



Palisade High School isn’t alone in this endeavor, although it seems to be the first inland project of its kind. When Pat Steele was planning on creating a hatchery he took a few students with him to Petaluma, California to visit Casa Grande High School and<a href="https://abc7news.com/coho-salmon-extinction-casa-grande-high-school-fish/11062269/"> their hatchery</a>. Casa Grande’s United Anglers has been running a hatchery since 1993. Typically the school raises steelhead trout but recently they were asked to take care of endangered Coho Salmon, due to rising water temperatures at their hatchery at Lake Sonoma.         



The<a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/wa/newsroom/features/?cid=nrcs144p2_036468"> US Department of Agriculture </a>reports that in the first year of a program in Washington State, 350 students from six to seven classes helped raise salmon. By 2006, that number had grown to 1,100 students in twenty schools in three counties. In this program, the fish are hatched in small tanks within the classroom from 500 eggs delivered by the <a href="https://yakamafish-nsn.gov/">Yakama Indian Nation </a>Fish Hatchery. The students place the eggs within gravel at the bottom of the tank. As they learn about the life cycle of the fish, they can watch them develop right in their class.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Seeing Palisade’s modest hatchery with its three tanks along with the nature trail behind the school within a stone’s throw of the Colorado River, I couldn’t help but be hopeful. I felt more hopeful for the environment than I’ve felt in a long time. The hatchery seems like the perfect balance of a project doing something directly beneficial for an endangered fish as well as giving indirect benefits. The indirect benefits are in the minds of the students who handle the fish, who watch them and try to understand their lives and the lives of everything in those great streams of water everyone in the west depends upon.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We want kids to understand the fish, get to know them," said Steele. "Every time they go by the river or they drive over it or whatever…hopefully it makes them think about being a little more sensitive to water conservation, you know, taking care of our rivers."



Image Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Colorado high school is fighting to save razorback suckers

Palisade High School, a twenty minute drive from where I...

Recently, the western United States has witnessed a dramatic increase in wildfires due to climate change and past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-supercharge-forest-disturbances/">forest</a> and fire management practices. Policymakers are currently weighing options for distributing the costs of wildfire suppression and mitigation across households in both low- and high-hazard areas.&nbsp;



According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.rff.org/">Resources for the Future</a> (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution from Washington, DC, while other anthropogenic hazards such as pollution and waste facilities overwhelmingly affect economically vulnerable communities, wildfire hazard is disproportionally borne by high-income, white, and elderly communities, and by owners of high-value properties.



“In spite of increased attention to the distribution of environmental and climate-related risks across socioeconomic groups, and its relevance to current wildfire-related policy debates, the distribution of wildfire hazard was previously not well understood,” said study lead author Matthew Wibbenmeyer, an environmental and natural resources economist at RFF.&nbsp;



By using granular spatial data to study residential properties in the western United States and their relative risk for wildfire exposure, Dr. Wibbenmeyer and his colleagues have found that the top ten percent most valuable homes in this region are 70 percent more likely to be in high hazard areas than median-value properties. According to the researchers, this is due to the fact that wildfire hazard often goes hand-in-hand with access to benefits such as proximity to nature, scenic views, and recreational opportunities.



However, the experts warn that their findings also reveal disproportionate exposure to wildfire hazards among the lowest-value properties in the western United States, and among Native American communities.&nbsp;



“Wildfire mitigation policies that deliver financial assistance to high-hazard areas could be subsidizing wealthy households. However, high wildfire hazard areas are quite heterogeneous, so addressing concerns associated with costs of increasing wildfire hazard may call for a geographically targeted approach focused on reducing the burden for the most vulnerable communities,” concluded study co-author Molly Robertson, a research associate at RFF.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac60d7">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wildfire hazard disproportionately affects wealthy homeowners

Recently, the western United States has witnessed a dramatic increase...

Anyone who’s heard of the problems in the Everglades probably knows that released <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/praying-mantises-are-becoming-more-popular-as-pets/">pets</a> can become invasive. Non-native plants and animals often outcompete native wildlife and harm ecosystems. Unfortunately, releasing a pet into the wild can mean hurting other wild creatures.&nbsp;



Unsurprisingly, fish are one of the most commonly released pets. In fact, released pets make up one third of aquatic invasive species. Goldfish have been domesticated for thousands of years and are extremely popular. These fish have established non-native populations all over the planet.&nbsp;



Now, a study published in the journal <a href="https://neobiota.pensoft.net/">NeoBiota</a> looks at goldfish and another pet fish, the white cloud mountain minnow in Northern Ireland. The researchers developed new techniques for assessing the potential risks and impacts of invasive pet species.&nbsp;



Goldfish, in particular, appeared to be dangerous to the native ecology of Ireland. Goldfish ate more food than either the white cloud mountain minnow or native Irish fishes. Goldfish were also brave, a trait thought to promote invasive behavior.&nbsp;



“Our research suggests that goldfish pose a triple threat. Not only are they readily available, but they combine insatiable appetites with bold behavior," explained study lead author Dr. James Dickey from Queen’s University Belfast.



"While northern European climates are often a barrier to non-native species surviving in the wild, goldfish are known to be tolerant to such conditions, and could pose a real threat to native biodiversity in rivers and lakes, eating up the resources that other species depend on.”



The scientists hope that they not only show that goldfish are potentially dangerous to ecology, but also help others assess risks of goldfish and other pets in other locations in the world.&nbsp;



“Our research highlights that goldfish are high risk, but we hope that the methods developed here can be used to assess others in the pet trade across Ireland and further afield," said Dr. Dickey.



"Readily available species are most likely to be released, so limiting the availability of potentially impactful ones, alongside better education of pet owners, is a solution to preventing damaging invaders establishing in the future.”



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Releasing goldfish is a threat to native wildlife

Anyone who’s heard of the problems in the Everglades probably...

As people leave less productive farmlands to move into urban areas, the abandoned farms can possibly revert to a more wild state. Such reversions to native plants, animals and ecology is not only good for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hedgehogs-are-spreading-the-superbug-mrsa-to-humans/">wildlife</a>, but can also help combat climate change.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a> shows that much of this "abandoned" farmland is eventually recultivated instead of being reverted to a natural state.



“As people move from rural areas into cities, there is a chance for wildlife and the climate to gain ground - literally - as abandoned farms and pastures revert back to forests and grasslands,” said study co-author Professor David Wilcove of the <a href="https://environment.princeton.edu/">High Meadows Environmental Institute</a> (HMEI). “Our work shows that this is not happening because the ‘abandoned’ lands are being rapidly recultivated.”



“Unless countries and policymakers develop better regulations and incentives to allow these lands to recover, this chance to restore ecosystems will not be fully realized,” said study lead author Christopher Crawford, a PhD candidate who is advised by Professor Wilcove. “It will remain a missed opportunity to fight climate change and biodiversity loss.”



To understand the process of abandoned farmland regenerating, the researchers looked at satellite photos from 11 locations scattered across four continents. Some of the locations were in the United States, Brazil, Bosnia, Herzegovina, China, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia. Croplands in these locations were abandoned for a host of reasons including war, socioeconomic changes and environmental factors. In China, some of the land was restored due to incentives to plant trees on marginal farmlands.&nbsp;



Across the sites, farmland was abandoned for an average of less than 14 years, with land in China staying abandoned longer than in most places, probably due to incentives. The scientists estimate that land should be abandoned for at least 50 years for significant biodiversity and climate benefits to be seen.&nbsp;



“Without incentives for restoration, cropland abandonment rarely lasts long enough to yield benefits for biodiversity or carbon sequestration,” Crawford said. “For abandoned croplands to reach levels of carbon stocks and biodiversity comparable to more intact natural ecosystems, they typically need at least 50 years of regeneration.”



Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces in China, where land stayed abandoned longer, show that incentives can work. The researchers also propose that unused croplands - which are not necessary for food - should be made into formally protected lands.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Restoring abandoned farms could help fight climate change

As people leave less productive farmlands to move into urban...

The <a href="https://www.cabi.org/products-and-services/one-health-resources-cabi/one-health-journal-cabi/">CABI One Health</a> journal has published a commentary calling on government and experts to “recognize the importance of animal welfare for sustainable development, and to aspire to harm animals less and benefit them more as part of sustainable development governance.”



This commentary comes ahead of the UN Stockholm+50 Conference on June 2-3, 2022. The conference will include a number of environmental proposals and suggestions to address <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-threatens-the-health-of-billions-of-people/">climate change</a>.&nbsp;



The commentary calls attention to the fact that animal welfare has not been considered since the UN Conference on the Human Environment began 50 years ago. To be clear, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development may include protecting species as a whole, but ideas on how to protect the welfare of those animals were not considered. The commentators are perplexed as to why animal welfare has not been a part of the discussion.



“Human, animal, and environmental health are linked,” explained Jeff Sebo of New York University, a lead author of the commentary. “Governments need to take steps to include animals in sustainable development governance for the sake of human and non-human animals alike.”



To see an example of the link between the environment, humans, and non-human animals, look no further than the industrial animal agriculture complex.



The commentary authors noted that animal agriculture requires more land and water and produces more pollution and waste than plant-based foods. And, of course, the industry is the leading cause of climate change.



We can also consider the current outbreaks of bird flu which have led to the deaths of millions of birds and can be attributed to overcrowding and the overuse of antibiotics.&nbsp;



Cleo Verkuijl of the Stockholm Environment Institute mentions an even more omnipresent disease caused by a lack of attentiveness to animal welfare. “COVID-19 reminds us that industries like industrial animal agriculture and the wildlife trade not only harm and kill many animals per year but also contribute to global health and environmental threats that imperil us all.”&nbsp;



Over 180 experts have endorsed the commentary as of May 23, 2022. But, its authors encourage more experts and governments to acknowledge the “intrinsic value of animals and consider their interests when making policy decisions that affect them.”&nbsp;



Professor Maria José Hötzel of the Federal University of Santa Catarina emphasizes that “governments cannot afford to wait another 50 years to take this issue seriously.”&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Animal welfare is essential to sustainable development

The CABI One Health journal has published a commentary calling...

Divers who visit ocean coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/without-action-coral-reefs-could-disappear-in-the-next-three-decades/">reefs</a> can hear the sounds of the reef organisms as they go about their daily business of feeding, communicating and moving about. The underwater sounds are reminiscent of static on a poorly-tuned radio, or the tantalizing hiss of eggs and bacon frying in the pan. In fact, when it is teeming with life, a coral reef is one of the noisiest places in the ocean, say scientists.



The characteristic sounds come from many sources, including the rasp of urchin and starfish teeth as they graze against the hard surfaces, shrimps that stun their prey with loud bubbles produced by their pincers, and fish that pluck off bits of coral. Added to these are the distant sounds of dolphins and whales communicating, and the zinging of tiny bubbles of oxygen as they zoom towards the sea surface. In fact, the more complex the soundscape, the more healthy the reef.&nbsp;



For researchers, sound recordings of these underwater activities could be an effective and economical way to assess the health of vulnerable reefs, since reefs that degrade tend to become quieter and less diverse in their acoustic characteristics. This type of monitoring offers a long-term and nonintrusive way to assess the state of reefs around the world, which are threatened by the effects of fishing, pollution and climate change.&nbsp;



At the upcoming 182nd Meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>, Lauren Freeman of the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport, will present the results of her experiments using passive acoustic monitoring to evaluate the health of coral reefs. Her presentation, "Coral Reef and Temperate Coastal Soundscape Features Evident in Directional and Omnidirectional Passive Acoustic Time Series," will take place on May 25th.



Freeman and her team used an acoustic array to monitor reefs off the coast of Hawaii, with the premise that degraded coral reefs become unsuitable for marine organisms and, as they abandon the communities, the soundscapes become less rich and diverse. In degraded communities, there tend to be fewer fish calls and a greater preponderance of high frequency noise from algae photosynthesizing and releasing bubbles of oxygen, which ring out as they rise through the water.



“There is a natural competition between corals and macroalgae on all coral reefs. In most cases with a dying or degraded reef, the macroalgae is winning and covers a lot more of the surface,” said Freeman. “On a pristine reef, you would see very little macroalgae, and a lot of herbivorous fish that help eat the macroalgae.”&nbsp;



Freeman and her team compared the results from Hawaii to similar data from Bermuda and New England. Interestingly, Hawaii and Bermuda both showed a characteristic reef evening chorus, where the sound levels increased immediately prior to sunset. The New England reef underwent similar changes near dusk. &nbsp;&nbsp;



“Almost every time I conduct an experiment, we learn more about the complexities and intricacies of ambient biological soundscapes,” said Freeman. “It's so exciting to continue to discover more about ocean ecosystems.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Healthy coral reefs crackle with the sounds of busy inhabitants

Divers who visit ocean coral reefs can hear the sounds...

The Corn Belt is a region in the midwestern United States that is dominated by agriculture, including western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas. A new study led by <a href="https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a> has found that climate change will make the U.S. Corn Belt unsuitable for cultivating corn and other major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetically-modified-crops-could-reduce-climate-impacts/">crops</a> by 2100. 



According to the researchers, this transition will be inevitable without major technological advances in agricultural practices, as well as significant diversification beyond the major commodity crops that currently make up the bulk of U.S. agriculture.



“Climate change is happening, and it will continue to shift U.S. cultivation geographies strongly north,” said study author Emily Burchfield, an environmental scientist at Emory. “It’s not enough to simply depend on technological innovations to save the day. Now is the time to envision big shifts in what and how we grow our food to create more sustainable and resilient forms of agriculture.”



Currently, 80 percent of U.S. agricultural lands are cultivated with only five types of crops – alfalfa, corn, hay, soy, and wheat. By drawing upon historical land-use data classifying where these crops are grown, Professor Burchfield developed computational models to project biophysically driven shifts in cultivation to 2100 under low-, moderate-, and high-emissions scenarios. The results revealed that, even under moderate-emissions scenarios, the cultivation geographies of these major crops will all shift strongly north, with the Corn Belt becoming unsuitable to the cultivation of corn by the end of the century.



“These projections may be pessimistic because they don’t account for all of the ways that technology may help farmers adapt and rise to the challenge,” Professor Burchfield&nbsp;said. “But relying on technology alone is a really risky way to approach the problem. If we continue to push against biophysical realities, we will eventually reach ecological collapse.”



In her opinion, a better solution would be for agricultural systems to diversify beyond this handful of major crops. “One of the basic laws of ecology is that more diverse ecosystems are more resilient,” explained Professor Burchfield. “A landscape covered with a single plant is a fragile, brittle landscape. And there is also growing evidence that more diverse agricultural landscapes are more productive.”



“We need to switch from incentivizing intensive cultivation of five or six crops to supporting farmers’ ability to experiment and adopt the crops that work best in their particular landscape. It’s important to begin thinking about how to transition out of our current damaging monoculture paradigm toward systems that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable for farmers, and climate-smart."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6c3d">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The U.S. Corn Belt will take a hard hit from climate change

The Corn Belt is a region in the midwestern United...

In a new study, scientists have investigated whether a relationship exists between air pollution and COVID severity. The researchers examined the levels of common air pollutants in Ontario, Canada, and the incidence of more serious cases of COVID-19 in people who resided in those areas.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed data on all 151,105 people, aged 20&nbsp;years and older, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, and who did not live in a long-term care facility.&nbsp;They noted whether these people were hospitalized, admitted to an ICU or died as a consequence of developing COVID-19.&nbsp;



To find out whether there was an association between long-term exposure to air pollution and disease severity, the researchers modeled each participant’s historical exposure to three common air pollutants present in the areas where they resided. The pollutants of interest were fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground-level ozone (O3).&nbsp;



Before analyzing the data, the researchers adjusted for several potentially confounding factors, including date of diagnosis, sex and age, being part of an outbreak, having essential worker status, participants’ neighborhood socioeconomic status, health care access (including previous influenza vaccination history), and previous outpatient visits to hospital.



"We observed that people with SARS-CoV-2 infection who lived in areas of Ontario with higher levels of common air pollutants (PM2.5, NO2&nbsp;and O3) were at elevated risk of being admitted to the ICU after we adjusted for individual and contextual confounding factors, even when the air pollution level was relatively low," explained Dr.&nbsp;Hong Chen, Health Canada and ICES.



In particular, the results showed that people infected with SARS-CoV-2 had an elevated risk of being hospitalized when they had historical long-term exposure to PM2.5&nbsp;and O3, and an increased risk of death from COVID-19 if they had chronic exposure to ground-level O3.&nbsp;



These results add to the growing reports linking levels of ambient air pollution to COVID-19 severity from other countries, including Spain and Mexico.



"Given the ongoing pandemic, our findings that underscore the link between chronic exposure to air pollution and more severe COVID-19 could have important implications for public health and health systems," wrote the study authors.



The researchers emphasize the need for more extensive research into the exact mechanisms through which long-term exposure to air pollution may influence the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/20/E693">Canadian Medical Association Journal</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Severity of COVID symptoms linked to air pollution

In a new study, scientists have investigated whether a relationship...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Kangerlussuaq Glacier on the Greenland ice sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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